EJournal #1 — Bridging Strategy & Analytic
Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to hear from industry experts who shared valuable insights on B2B marketing, content strategy, and digital analytics. Their perspectives shined a light on my understanding of building engaging content and leveraging data to drive successful campaigns. With this said, I intend to use their advice and expertise to build my digital marketing career.
Scott McDonald – B2B Digital Marketing Insights
I had the opportunity to hear from Scott McDonald, a Director in Digital & Content Marketing specializing in B2B. He explained that B2B marketing differs from B2C due to multiple stakeholders, longer sales cycles, and highly targeted approaches.
Scott emphasized that B2B marketing requires a structured strategy, focusing on credibility and valuable content. He highlighted the collaboration between different teams—communications, digital marketing, content marketing, and creative services to create cohesive campaigns.
A key takeaway was the importance of leadership in fostering productivity.
He outlined three principles to help foster a collaborative team:
Set clear expectations and priorities
Encourage experimentation and constructive feedback
Leverage technology (e.g., Slack) to enhance collaboration
Scott also stressed the importance of adaptability in marketing, where embracing change and optimizing strategies continuously is crucial for success.
Mike Senra – Digital Analytics & Strategy
Mike Senra a Director in Operations & Analytics, provided insights into digital analytics and its role in optimizing the buyer’s journey. He explained how leveraging data improves customer relationships and enhances the user experience.
He introduced four key elements of digital analytics: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics—essential for data-driven decision-making. Mike also emphasized the importance of setting KPIs to measure success, such as impressions, clicks, and engagement rates.
Additionally, he highlighted tools like SEMrush and Google Analytics for tracking user behaviour and refining marketing strategies. By identifying patterns in data, businesses can optimize their campaigns to maximize engagement and drive better results.
How these perspectives can impact my career
Hearing from both speakers gave me valuable insights that I’ve already started applying to my co-op role at Intuit QuickBooks, a B2B company and possibly as a future content creator.
Here are my key takeaways that I believe would impact my career path in the long run.
The power of content marketing in building trust and credibility.
Leveraging data and benchmarks to drive successful campaigns.
Scott’s presentation helped me realize that content marketing isn’t just about posting—it’s about creating valuable, expert-driven content that resonates with your audience. As a Social and Communications Co-op for Intuit QuickBooks, I craft social media content for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Before, I focused more on engagement tactics, but now I prioritize educational and relevant content to establish Intuit QuickBooks as a trusted resource. For example, I create Instagram stories that use information from the blog, I now ask myself questions: Is this relevant to my audience? or How can my audience utilize this content? to ensure it drives impact to the business and can build engagement.
Furthermore, Mike’s insights on analytics reinforced how crucial data-driven decision-making is. Setting benchmarks for engagement metrics like clicks, impressions, and shares allows me to track progress and refine strategies effectively. Now, I’m able to view my projects through a strategic lens, so building on to the Instagram stories example, I have been tracking my progress over the last week to see how well they’ve been performing. I’ve been optimizing my Instagram stories so I can demonstrate to my team through metrics how creating stories is impactful for the brand.
Beyond my co-op, I plan to apply these lessons to my personal brand. I want to launch a YouTube channel, but I often struggled with content ideas. Scott’s and Mike’s emphasis on their digital marketing expertise has pushed me to feel more confident in making the jump to becoming a content creator. These insights will shape both my career and future business endeavours.
